Hip-Hop Celebrates Pioneers Like LL Cool J
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LL Cool J (search) wore his Kangol hat, Big Daddy Kane broke out the old-school rhymes and dance moves, and Salt 'N Pepa rapped and sashayed like back in the day as VH1 celebrated rap's pioneers at the second annual "Hip-Hop Honors."
"It's something that documents hip-hop history, and I'm glad to be a part of it," said Big Daddy Kane of the evening.
He received the night's biggest ovation Thursday with his sizzling performance of his classic hit "Warm It Up."
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The show feted Kane, Ice-T (search), LL Cool J, Salt 'N Pepa (search), Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the late Notorious B.I.G. and the movie "Boyz N the Hood."
Hip-hop's new generation came out to honor the elders: Nelly, wearing early LL Cool J gear, rapped "I'm Bad," then performed with Ciara on LL Cool J's sexy smash, "Doin' It"; Kanye West and Ludacris recited Notorious B.I.G.'s hits as his widow, Faith Evans, sang; his mother clapped and Diddy danced in the balcony. And Snoop Dogg joined Ice-T for a West Coast rap performance of Ice-T's hits.
But it was old school-meets-old school when Salt 'N Pepa reunited to perform their hit "Whatta Man." They were joined onstage by En Vogue, the '90s R&B quartet who hadn't performed together in years as well.
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The show will air 9 p.m. EDT Monday on VH1.